Houston mom charged in pre-teen's abortion

By Cindy George |
August 29, 2011
| Updated: September 12, 2011 5:14pm

A Houston adoptive mother has been charged after arranging an abortion for her 12-year-old special needs daughter during a criminal investigation about whether the woman's biological son impregnated the girl.

Cynthia Greenwood, 50, of Houston, was arrested Friday on one count of tampering with physical evidence. Her son, 19-year-old Isaac Greenwood, was charged in April and indicted in July on three counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child under 14. Both are free on bail.

A criminal complaint filed in Harris County alleges that Cynthia Greenwood, knowing that there was a pending investigation concerning the pregnant preteen, concealed biological matter with an intent to impair its availability as evidence in the probe.

The mother took the child for an abortion when she was 17 weeks pregnant, according to criminal complaints against Isaac Greenwood, but the procedure could not be performed because the child was "too hysterical."

Authorities were notified about the pregnancy last fall.

On Oct. 15, the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services received an anonymous call about a 12-year-old who was taken to an Ohio clinic for an abortion. The caller also reported the "hysterical demeanor" of the girl and that the mother refused to provide any details about how the child became pregnant.

The child, in her second trimester, was interviewed at home by a Child Protective Services employee that same day. The girl said an adult had touched her private area, but refused to name that person. The social worker also interviewed Cynthia Greenwood, who said she did not know who got the girl pregnant.

Two weeks later, on Oct. 29, medical personnel at the Center for Women's Health in Cleveland, Ohio, told Texas officials that the girl was brought there by her mother. The girl, who was five months pregnant, was taken to the clinic on Oct. 20 and had an abortion two days later, according to court filings.

The fetus and medical reports were obtained from the Ohio clinic as evidence, court records show.

Child removed

On Nov. 2, a Harris County sergeant in the crimes against children unit interviewed Cynthia Greenwood, who admitted taking the girl to Ohio for an abortion, but denied knowing who sexually assaulted her. CPS removed the child and her younger sister the same day.

In a December interview, the girl told a forensic investigator that Isaac Greenwood had sex with her and that her mother took her to Ohio "to have an operation so it wouldn't hurt when the baby came out," court records said.

Isaac Greenwood would have been 18 when the acts allegedly happened - twice in March 2010 and once in May 2010 at a relative's home.

The victim, now 13, and her 12-year-old sister have been living together in a Harris County foster home since November.

"The rights of the parents were terminated and now the girls are in our permanent custody," CPS spokeswoman Estella Olguin said.

In Texas, abortion providers are required to notify authorities when receiving a patient so young for the procedure.

"If they're under 14, the law is that you have to report any sexual activity," said Rochelle Tafolla, the Houston-based spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast.